Obama failed this week as well as Clinton
James Forsyth says that Hillary’s disappointment in Tuesday’s primaries is matched by the decline in Obama’s image, as the sheen of the wunderkind fades and doubts multiply
The effective end of the Democratic primary process will allow Obama to get some sleep — he is visibly exhausted right now — and his campaign can turn its attention to the general election. Obama’s speech on Tuesday showed that he will put a heavy emphasis on his patriotism: Obama’s voice rarely breaks when he is speaking but it did when he delivered the line, ‘I know the promise of America because I have lived it.’ Considering John McCain’s heroic record of service, Obama will need to push his own brand of inspirational patriotism.
This primary process has gone on for so long that it is easy to forget just how remarkable Obama’s rise has been: a man who addressed the last Democratic convention as an unknown state senator from Illinois will do so as his party’s nominee this year. There has never been a rise this dramatic in the history of the Republic. He is a politician of great skill and the best orator for many years. But the drawn-out primary process has knocked some of the sheen from him and motivated the conservative base to keep him out of office.
The Clinton–Obama fight has focused on personality, as there are so few policy differences between them. In the general election, the policy divide between the two candidates will be huge on everything from Iraq to healthcare. Obama argues that this split will enable him to win over the Clinton voters he needs to beat McCain; in both Indiana and North Carolina less than half of them said that they would vote for Obama in the fall. But policy alone will not be enough. Obama will need to persuade these voters at the very least that they can trust him and preferably that they would like to have a beer with him too. So the most important battle of the general election will be to define Obama.
For all McCain’s and Obama’s talk about running respectful campaigns, it will get personal very fast. We will soon know if the primary process has toughened Obama up for the coming fight or just exposed his weaknesses for all to see.
More articles from: James Forsyth | this section
Post this entry to: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit
Advertisement
Thank goodness we can have a run on the pound when we need one
Martin Vander WeyerMartin Vander Weyer looks ahead to next week’s Pre-Budget Report and reflects on George Osborne’s contentious remarks about the devaluation of sterling. It looks like Gordon Brown is getting away with his borrowing binge — leaving the Tories isolated
I loved Oliver Stone’s Bush film — and I know why the critics hated it
Rod LiddleThe movie W. did not provide the crude anti-Bush agitprop that the reviewers craved, says Rod Liddle. This was precisely its strength: we need to get inside the minds even of those we most deplore
The great Tory tax and spend battle: seconds out...
Fraser Nelson and Daniel FinkelsteinIn the wake of Cameron’s decision to drop his pledge to match Labour spending, Fraser Nelson and Daniel Fin kelstein of the Times trade rhetorical blows over the issue that is gripping and troubling the Conservative party as it adjusts to the transformed economic context
Where is our inspiration when we most need it?
Bryan ForbesBryan Forbes remembers listening to Churchill as a 14-year-old evacuee and now looks with envy at Obama’s capacity to galvanise hope. Where are his UK counterparts?
For a bit of perspective, try thinking Jurassic
Christopher LloydThe first takeaways originated about 150 million years ago, says Christopher Lloyd; global travel is pretty ancient, too. And as for democracy...
Is Barack Obama really black? Actually, I’m not so sure
Rod LiddleRod Liddle, who wanted the Democrat to win, says the racial dimension to this presidential election was never straightforward, and probably favoured Obama rather than McCain
Only Abba can save the world financial markets
Martin Vander WeyerMartin Vander Weyer says that the collapse in the markets reflects a loss of confidence that is out of proportion to all reason: a trip to Mamma Mia! is the answer to this hysteria
High Life
Taki
Taking sides
Our obsession with paedophilia is more dangerous than Gary Glitter’s return
Rod LiddleRod Liddle says that the hunt for this foul child molester is the symptom of an unhealthy and disproportionate fixation that has spawned all sorts of absurd rules and regulations
Reading on the web is not really reading
Susan JacobySusan Jacoby laments the intellectual crisis now gripping America and says that the torrent of digital infotainment is threatening basic literacy and news knowledge
Latest blog posts
sponsored links
Free Sky Digital Offer - Order Now
Subscribe to Sky from £16 a month. Get free equipment and free broadband - Join Now. Sky HD - be amongst the first to have it - order now.
Free Sky Digital Offer - Order Now
Subscribe to Sky from £16 a month. Get free equipment and free broadband - Join Now. Sky HD - be...
ROME CENTRE
PORTA METRONIA, ROME Standing high on the top of one of the seven hills of Rome- the Coelian- this unique
City Breaks. ROME and PARIS
ROME and PARIS: over 350 holiday rentals apartments listed: visit www.romanreference.com and www.parisreference.com or call +39 0648 903612.
Jewellery. RUFFS (Estd. 1904).
Goldsmiths by Design Welcome to Ruffs! You have found a company of Goldsmiths that specialises in the manufacture, amongst other
Spectator Business | Apollo Magazine
Corporate | Advertising | Privacy | Terms
Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London, SW1H 9HP
All Articles and Content Copyright ©2008 by The Spectator | All Rights Reserved
Augustus
May 8th, 2008 11:27amA very clear appraisal if I may say so, James.
If it hasn't toughened him up, McCain sure will. And not only beerwise!
Ganpat Ram
May 8th, 2008 6:22pmGod help McCain if he makes the stupid and fatal mistake of fighting Obama "respectfully".
That was exactly what poor Hillary did - failing to hammer home the starkly obvious fact that a man like Obama who sits in a church for 20 years listening to his chosen pastor and the pastor of his family spewing fascist and racist hate propaganda, has shown zero leadership and judgement and is rankly unfit for a role in public life in any decent country.
Clinton failed to explain this to the voters and paid the price. Obama got away with political murder.
Now it seems McCain is repeating the folly.
As for Clinton, the best thing by far that she can do for herself now is to quit her campaign NOW. Every day that she fights Obama the media focuses on comparisons between herself and Obama, not the comparison Obama mortally fears - the one between his malodorous Wright-tainted self and the super hero McCain. Hillary should finally strike the cruellest blow of all against Obama - quit the race and leave him to be massacred by McCain (which McCaim can accomplish if he doesn't pull his punches fatally).
Hillary should go home, relax and watch the wonderful, delighful spectacle of Obama being slaughtered by McCain.
She should gently tell her followers the simple truth: that McCain is a mighty hero the whole of the USA can proudly vote for, though she will not herself as she has some disagreements with his Iraq and economic policies so far.
She should gracefully decline to camapaign actively for Obama saying she would not wish to compromise the image of such a wonderfully popular man.
She should begin preparing for her real fight: with Al Gore for the 2012 Democratic nomination !
K.Vijayakumar
May 9th, 2008 8:44amObama seems to have well withstood the adversities he faced in the last couple of months. He has shown great grit and poise in facing the onslaughts on him. These qualities coupled with his sharp intellect, keen political instincts and oratorical skills should make him a hit with not only the American electorate but also, if elected , with the world at large.
Verity
May 9th, 2008 10:17pmI believe I was the first to say, around five months ago, that Obama is Blairesque. Admittedly he is far more intelligent than Blair (but they're equally crafty) and his personal presentation is far more elegant and worldly (Blair always looked like a smarty-pants schoolboy looking for a pat on the back) but they share the same fake, empty "vision" and attachment to empty slogans ("Change you can believe in!" - huh?), high self-regard, opportunism and a vacuous, inexplicable sense of entitlement.
Vijay, you are wrong. I believe the world, especially the Anglophone world, will find his empty posturing distasteful. And they will make mincemeat of him in the Middle East.
I find the prospect of someone that inexperienced being the most powerful individual in the world quite alarming.
David Wilson
May 11th, 2008 5:07pmYes Obama clearly failed. He pretty much clinched the nomination and is now hot favourite for the presidency. What a loser.